


Salvation

by Amarxlen



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 02:56:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amarxlen/pseuds/Amarxlen
Summary: A late response to the tumblr prompt for Vanqua week.





	Salvation

**Vanqua Week — Day 5 Salvation**

She had been wandering the Realm of Darkness for so long, it felt like she had never been anywhere or done anything else. With Master Keeper in her hand, she sliced through beings of Darkness, not Unversed, but not anything she knew a name for at the moment. Instead, she settled for calling them “shadows”, because that was what they looked like. Thick puddles of darkness that skittered across the ground like rats or cockroaches — but with far more nefarious purposes.

She tried not to think about how tired she was, weary down to the bone in a way she’d never felt before, not even during the final clash with Xehanort. During that fight, she’d been full of adrenaline, and hellbent on winning. Yet despite her best efforts, she’d lost, failed both Terra and Ventus and fell into the Realm of Darkness. Sometimes, there were small moments of quiet where she allowed herself to wonder if falling into the dark realm had anything to do with the state of her heart.

Had darkness seeped in? Had she allowed it to take hold in her heart? Was that why she’d failed? Or were the Master’s teachings wrong? Was Master Xehanort right when he said that darkness would prevail over everything?

No. She couldn’t allow herself to think like that. If she thought like that, she wouldn’t stand a chance in this realm. She pushed those thoughts from her mind and soldiered on, dismissing her Keyblade and rubbing her aching shoulder. She wasn’t sure what she hoped to gain from wandering endlessly through the darkness, but she knew she couldn’t stay in one place. It was too easy for the darkness to fester and sneak up on her while she was in one place, but she also knew that she was reaching the end of her rope. She’d have to rest soon, whether she liked it or not.

It took less time than she expected to find a place suitable for resting, and she sat down a bit harder than she’d meant to. Sighing, she allowed herself to close her eyes. Sitting instead of moving, it was impossible to ignore how tired she was. She wrapped her arms around her legs, and her thoughts drifted to Terra and Ventus. She wondered where they were, if they were safe. If her sacrifice had been in vain… There had to be a way to escape this place.

The unmistakable sound of a Keyblade slicing through foes rang through the air, and Aqua’s head jerked quickly upright. She hadn’t realized her heart had begun to swell with hope until it was crushed. Standing in front of her wasn’t anybody she’d hoped it was or wanted to see, but instead somebody she’d hoped she’d never see again.

Jumping up and simultaneously summoning her Keyblade, she glared at the masked boy in front of her.

“So these creatures are more of your Unversed!”

“Yeah, right,” he said, with a click of his tongue. “You’re delusional if you think those things came from me.”

“Where else could they come from?”

He stared at her silently and she had the distinct impression that if she could see his face, he would be wearing an expression of disdain.

“Try the darkness in people’s hearts? It’s not just me, y’know.”

For a moment, she remained silent, taking in his tone and body language. Though he still held his Keyblade at his side, he wasn’t in any sort of battle stance, his limbs relaxed, rather than tensed for a fight. It didn’t sound like he was lying, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked.

“Same as you. Looking for a way out.”

This time she scoffed.

“Shouldn’t you be right at home here?”

“Clever,” he said. “But I’ve still got a score to settle out there.”

Her glare hardened.

“If you think I’m going to help you get to Ven—”

“I don’t think you have much of a choice. You won’t make it through here on your own.”

“I will make it through here, and I  _ will _ make it home.”

“Suit yourself,” Vanitas replied.

Without missing a beat, he turned and began to walk away, leaving her with a sudden feeling of uneasiness in her gut. Did she really want to add another threat to the darkness looming around her?

“Wait!” The masked boy stopped and turned towards her. She took a deep breath, and swallowed down the distaste in her throat. “Fine. You can travel with me, but that’s all. I’m not helping you do anything.”

She could hear the smirk in his voice when he walked past her and replied, “Oh, you’re helping plenty.”


End file.
